Attachment Parenting

Pat Persaud

Posted:

Really: breast-feeding a toddler (or for one woman interviewed in the article, breast-feeding a seven-year-old) seems ridiculous!

But then again, I'm a little biased. I still remember this woman pushing a breast-feeding pump into my room after the birth of my first child by C-section. Just the sight of that pump made me uncomfortable. Yet, I tried. I understood the health benefits for the baby. But, I have to say it really hurt trying to breast-feed. Don't know if it was a direct result of the C-section or just me.

So, I had to resort to the shame of bottle feeding my preemie! The formula he was put on was prescribed by his doctor. She assured me he would get all the necessary nutrients. And he did! He turned out perfectly normal. Very healthy today.

However the whole ordeal of the lactation specialist disapproving of my choice really left a sour taste in my mouth concerning the way breast-feeding is forced on new mothers. Guilting women into breast-feeding doesn't work. Problem is, not everyone is able to do it! That's no reason to make them feel as though they are not mom enough.

Then there's the whole issue of co-sleeping with your child! I have to admit, when my children were babies they slept in a bassinet next to my bed for the first three months of their lives. This, I thought, was extreme parenting. But after that I was content (and they were too) to sleep alone.

I guess I was lucky. They were able to comfort themselves and fall asleep - no problem. But then again, we trained them that way. And it worked for us!

Attachment parenting may be the latest trend but it's a trend that, thankfully, we missed!

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